Diego Maradona: England were looking for reason to dump Fabio Capello

England’s former nemesis
Diego Maradona says the Football Association were looking for a reason to get rid of coach
Fabio Capello because of poor displays.

Diego Maradona lost his job as Argentina coach following their failure at the 2010 World Cup (Pic: Reuters)

Former World Cup and Argentina national team manager Maradona is now managing Dubai-based club Al-Wasl.

When asked for his views on Capello’s exit over the handling of John Terry being stripped of the captaincy, he claimed that the row over the Chelsea defender was just an excuse to get rid of someone who had failed to live up to expectations.

‘What we heard initially was about Terry,’ he said.

‘This is what the English FA are saying. But of course this is not the real reason. It is clear the FA was looking to fire him, they wanted an excuse.

‘They werenât happy with his performance. Any coach who doesnât perform at the level expected, especially at the World Cup, is one whom they immediately look to replace.

‘They had been looking to replace him for a long time, and Terry came at exactly the right time. It all comes down to Capello not performing to their expectations.

‘The English FA can say whatever they want, but they will not fool me.’

Meanwhile, former Manchester United captain Roy Keane says the selection of the next England manager has nothing to do with the players, and has poured scorn on the importance with which the issue of the England captaincy has been treated.

‘It shouldn’t be down to the players who gets the job. OK, you might consult one or two senior players but the problem is that what they want seems to change every couple of years.’

He also said the way such a big issue was made of the England captaincy, with players being given news conferences when they were appointed, made it seem like some of obsession.

‘Terry had a press conference when he was made captain, David Beckham had a press conference to announce he was standing down as captain â and cried!’ said Keane.’Give me a break! It’s not a big ego trip and it shouldn’t be about being popular with your team-mates.’It should be because you are respected by them and as a reward for your service. Nothing more, nothing less.’